Paradigm Shift
by Kulmanari
Summary: A paradigm is our perception of reality. It is our interpretation of events based on previous teachings we have received. A paradigm shift means to have a sudden change in perception, a sudden change in point of view, of how you see things.
1. Racing The Night

**Chapter One**

"_Racing The Night"_

_Oh my god I'm blind! _Zack thought, horrified at the thought of living out the rest of his days wearing dark glasses and feeling his way along with a cane. He sat there for a moment panicking before realizing that he could see an orange blur off to his left. Relieved that he wasn't in fact blind, Zack rubbed his eyes to try and clear his vision and was rewarded with a slightly less blurry orange blob and a dark horizon.

A gentle breeze caressed the side of his face and Zack's golden blond hair tickled his cheek. He absentmindedly batted it away to no avail and settled for tucking the offending lock behind his right ear.

_Wait a minute! What am I doing outside?_

"Ugh…" Cody groaned from behind him, "Did anyone catch the number of the train that hit me?"

"I know how you feel," Zack said as he massaged his temples to try and alleviate the pounding in his head. As his vision began to clear the older twin slowly surveyed their surroundings in dismay. If he didn't know better he would guess that they were somewhere in Colorado; ice capped mountains soaring high into the sky to his right and a seemingly endless grassy plain stretching as far as the eye could see to the left. The orange blob he'd seen before was in fact the sun hanging above what he assumed were the Rocky Mountains partially shrouded by dark clouds.

"We sure as heck aren't in Boston any more Codes... Or on the ship for that matter."

Cody sat up suddenly and looked around to confirm it for himself. His expression was one of shock and utter confusion.

"This doesn't make sense… Where are we? How did we get here?"

"I don't know man, last thing I remember…" Zack trailed off. He couldn't remember what had happened before waking up in the grassy field feeling like he had a mad hangover. Cody looked at him curiously.

"What?"

"I don't know. I can't remember anything!" Zack exclaimed, frightened at his lack of memory.

"Are you mental? We were just…"

"Just what?"

"I don't know either…"

"Who is the mental one now?" Zack couldn't resist taunting his twin. He grinned to let Cody know he was only messing with him.

"Shut up." Cody patted down his pockets and frowned, "My cell phone's gone."

Zack checked his pockets too and came up empty handed. "I guess we should start walking then." He slowly spun in a circle scanning the horizon looking for the nearest road or city where they might be able to find a ride and a phone to call their parents. There was a small collection of buildings, what appeared to be a small farm or something, in the distance on the plains. He pointed it out to his brother, "That way."

As it turned out, the buildings they had seen earlier turned out to be a lot further away than they thought. After about an hour of walking it seemed that they were no further to their goal than they were when they'd started. Both boys were rapidly growing hungry and thirsty to make matters worse.

"My god are we ever going to get there?" Cody grumbled, "My feet are killing me," As if to underscore his statement Cody stumbled when his foot slipped into a previously concealed rabbit hole.

Zack reached out to steady his twin, the last thing they needed was for one of them to end up with a twisted ankle, and then knelt down. He cleared away some of the loose soil and peered into the darkness, listening carefully as he did so. After a moment he came to the conclusion that the underground den was empty and stood back up.

"What were you doing?" Cody asked suspiciously as Zack dusted his hands off.

"Looking for dinner."

A look of horror came over his twin's face, "You can't be serious..."

Zack shrugged and fished out the flint and steel he carried in his back pocket so that he could show it to his brother. If they were trapped out on the plains without shelter or adequate provisions for an extended period of time, he was perfectly willing and able to put his survival skills to good use. There was no guarantee they would find help at the farm they were heading towards. For all they knew, it could be completely abandoned without working transportation or phone service.

"Why are you carrying that around anyway? What possible use could it have at sea?"

"I didn't hear you complaining about it when we were trapped on that island with London and Woody," Zack answered as he stuffed the items back into his pocket, "Not that you should be talking with half of the crap you carry around," He shot back pointedly.

"It's not crap! What if we run into a wild bear out here?"

"There's no bears on the plains. Jeez, and I thought you were the smart twin?" Zack teased him as they trudged along through the knee high grass and scrub brush.

The bickering continued for another half hour or so as they continued traveling towards the farm. As the sun sunk deeper in the sky behind them their shadows stretched out before them. Both boys fell into a companionable silence as they navigated around thorny bushes, dry creek beds and over the seemingly never ending rolling hills in their path.

"Finally!" Cody groaned as they approached the farm. They were close enough now to make out the details of the buildings they had seen before. They were all made out of a mixture of stone, wood and what looked like straw matted with mud for roofs. One of the buildings was clearly a barn, another was an old fashioned grain silo by the looks of it and the third one set apart from the other two was a two story house. More importantly than the thought of shelter though was the fact that the lower floor was lit up from the inside by candlelight.

The twins broke into a light jog and covered the remaining distance quickly. They stopped just on the edge of the cleared property and exchanged triumphant smiles. Everything was going to be alright and they would soon be on their way home.

Movement nearby drew their attention as a young woman wearing a dress that looked like it came straight out of a western movie picked up a bucket she had been filling with water from a ground well. She started walking back towards the house, completely oblivious to the twins' presence.

"Excuse me..." Zack started, but got no further. The woman screamed, dropped the bucket full of water and dashed towards the house like a gazelle evading a lion, "Was it something I said?"

"You've always had that effect on women," Cody replied. Zack grimaced at the insult and slugged his twin playfully in the shoulder as they waited to see if there were any further reactions to their arrival. They didn't have to wait long.

"Get out of here you!" A man, presumably the young woman's father, roared as he burst out of his home with what looked like a spear held in his right hand. Hot on his heels was an older boy carrying a long menacing looking knife.

"Holy crap!" Cody breathed as he back up several paces.

Zack held up his hands to show them that he meant no threat, "We're lost, we just wanted to use your phone."

"You'd better be lost, somewhere far away from my property!" The man growled as he continued advancing towards them. Zack backed away, looked over his shoulder at Cody and jerked his head slightly. They broke into a dead run to get away from the crazy man and his son.

The twins ran into the rapidly approaching night until they were certain that they were not being pursued. Cody collapsed heavily onto the ground, holding his hand against his rib cage where he was presumably applying pressure to a stitch in his side. Zack, knowing better, walked in slow circles as his heartbeat and breathing slowed down to a more reasonable speed. Sweat dripped down his forehead and he absentmindedly brushed it away.

"What...the...heck!" Cody exclaimed from where he lay prone on the ground, his chest rapidly rising and falling as he sucked in deep lungfuls of air. Zack knelt down beside his brother now that he'd given his body enough time to cool down and studied the largest hill he'd seen so far on the plains. It looked to be a couple miles away, but he couldn't be sure in the rapidly diminishing light.

"We need to get moving," he said, pointing at the hill where he thought he saw the tops of a cluster of buildings. Cody sat up and gazed in the direction he'd indicated.

"I don't know if I'm ready to confront any more pitchfork wielding psychos just yet..."

"Well we can't stay out here," Zack pointed out as he rubbed his arms where goosebumps had already broken out on his flesh, "The temperature is going to keep dropping and who knows what the weather is going to be like tonight." He looked up warily at the storm clouds that were now hanging menacingly above them.

"I just want to be back in my own room," Cody complained as he got back to his feet and started walking with him.

"You and me both bro."

"Just as long as you keep your side clean for once..."

Zack snorted at the memory of _that _particular fight.

An hour later they found themselves trudging uphill, fighting to stay upright as they banged their shins against rocks hidden in the darkness or slipped on loose gravel that sent them sliding back downhill.

"There has got to be an easier way," Cody grumbled and he slipped for the tenth time, just barely managing to catch himself by flailing into the darkness and grabbing hold of one of the shin busting rocks. Zack unfortunately banged his leg into the same rock as he tried to reach out and help his twin, yelping in pain as he did so.

"Knowing our luck there's probably an escalator right around the corner," Zack muttered as he carefully bent over and rubbed the throbbing appendage.

"I'd settle for some good old fashioned stairs at this point," Cody huffed as he resumed his trek upward. Zack silently followed, doing his best to pick the safest route upward and avoid further injury. After what seemed like an eternity they arrived at the top of the hill and were able to make out the dark silhouettes of several buildings.

"I'd kill for a flashlight."

"Maybe they've all gone to sleep already?" Cody suggested. The moon picked that exact moment to break through the heavy cloud cover and illuminate the small plateau they stood on, "Oh now you decide to come out!"

"Well that's not good..." Zack muttered, annoyed that they'd been thwarted from possible rescue once again. The buildings were a small collection of stone houses that looked like they had been knocked over by an explosion. None of them had roofs and the walls of the one in the best condition barely came up to waist height with one side completely caved in.

Cody threw up his arms in defeat and sat down on the edge of one of the walls. Being more optimistic Zack surveyed the destroyed home, glad that they had at least some form of shelter from the elements and paused when a patch of darkness caught his eye. He investigated it and realized that there was an intact basement beneath the building. Feeling relieved Zack crept down the stairs into the gloomy space wincing as Cody yelped in surprise at his sudden disappearance.

"Down here you big baby," He called out as his hands searched for anything that could be of use. Something soft bumped against his toe and he reached down to touch it.

"What is it?" Cody whispered from where he was crouched on the stairs. Zack held up a moldy and dusty woolen blanket triumphantly, "No way."

"Fine then, freeze to death if you want," Zack said. He searched the area with his right foot for any obstacles on the ground and, finding none, settled himself down onto the cold stone floor drawing the blanket over him as he went. For a brief period he shivered, but then he began to warm up as his body heat warmed the ground.

A moment later and uttering a curse that raised Zack's right eyebrow in surprise Cody crawled in under the blanket alongside him.

"This stinks."

"I know camping isn't your thing and all..." Zack began.

"No I mean this really stinks," Cody growled, pushing the blanket away from his face.

"Yeah I know..." Zack sighed in agreement.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Welcome to the new and regular readers alike! I thought I'd start off with a semi-normal mysterious chapter, but as all the old hands know, I don't do 'normal' for long so this is the first and only chapter without a supernatural event, explosions, fighting, a dark turn of events, an element of fantasy/sci-fi or a good old heart pounding 'run for your life' adrenaline rush. Hope you enjoyed this bit and while you're wondering just where I've deposited the twins and what kind of mess they're going to find themselves in, I'll be working on the next installment. Reviews do motivate me to work harder, just saying... =)

Feel free to leave comments about how well the twins are written 'in character'. I'm introducing an element of sibling rivalry alongside of the constant bickering into my usual template for the twins so it'll be interesting to see how well (or not) it's accepted.

And for Tiger, I guarantee you will not see the full truth of the 'Paradigm Shift' until the moment for it to be unveiled arrives no matter how much foreshadowing I do!


	2. Going Nowhere Fast

**Chapter Two**

"_Going Nowhere Fast"_

Both boys slept fitfully on the cold hard ground as the plains' wind wailed above them, broken only when the rain came down in the middle of the night. Fortunately it was just a drizzle and they managed to stay dry. Morning came far to early and surprisingly Zack was the first to awaken.

He lay there for a moment feeling equally disturbed and comforted by the fact that Cody was snuggled up against him radiating warmth in defiance of the early morning chill. He hadn't slept alongside his brother in at least five years and it reminded him of all the times that they had spent sharing a bed at random hotels while their parents were on tour, squeezed into the back of their van while they were on the road or having to share the small bedroom in their old apartment before their parents divorced. Forcing the nostalgia of years long past, Zack exhaled deeply and placed his hands upon his chest as he stared up at the gray ceiling above.

Deciding to let Cody sleep a little longer, he began to contemplate their situation. With the sun up and being on top of a sizable hill, they should have an unrestricted view for miles. Hopefully they would be able to see a highway or a town or even power lines that they could follow back to civilization.

If they didn't see anything however he decided that they would have to keep traveling in one direction until they found a river or stream and follow that to civilization. People were always building homes and towns next to major water sources. Besides just needing to find a phone or transportation, they needed to find water to sustain themselves. Zack knew they could do without food for awhile, but he guessed that they'd already gone without water for almost a day and if they didn't find any today dehydration would begin to take its toll on their bodies. Hopefully with the early drizzle they would find something to sip on to hold them over for the day.

Cody began to stir alongside him and Zack resigned himself to starting the day. Despite the offensive odor and scratchy texture of the blanket he was warm and dry under it and he knew it would be chilly and damp when they went outside. He gently elbowed his brother to wake him up.

"I hoped it was a bad dream," Cody moaned as his eyes opened part way.

"So any new theories on how we ended up out here?" Zack wondered as extracted himself from the blanket, stood and stretched his stiff muscles.

"You mean besides being kidnapped, alien abductions or wormholes? Not a clue."

Zack smirked at his brother's smart alack remark, "Well we sure as heck didn't go overboard and end up in the middle of the country. We were on board the Tipton at some point, I know that much."

"Yeah, but it's a blank after that. I can't remember what we were doing before we woke up out here," Cody agreed. Zack felt a chill run down his spine at the realization of just how much of his memory was missing. It made him feel uncomfortable that something might have happened to him and his brother without his knowledge or consent.

"Fold up the blanket will you, I'm going to see if there's anything useable down here," Zack instructed as he moved off to examine the rotted out wooden shelves and cabinets on the far end of the basement.

Cody wrinkled his nose and looked at him curiously, "Why exactly would I want to fold this flea bitten horse blanket again?"

"We might need it for tonight if we don't find a warm place to sleep."

"I'd almost rather freeze," Cody huffed as he finally complied.

Realizing that the cabinets were picked clean Zack turned around to face his twin, "Empty. Someone must have taken whatever supplies were left behind. Except for the horse blanket that is."

"I don't blame them. I wouldn't want to take it either," Cody muttered as he walked up the stairs into the dim light above with the blanket slung over his left shoulder. It was an overcast morning; the sky was an iron gray curtain that threatened heavy rain in the distance, "So which way do we go?"

"That way," Zack answered picking a seemingly random direction.

"You have no idea where you're going do you?" Cody accused him.

"It's better than going back towards the psycho farmer and his knife wielding demon spawn of a son," Zack pointed out. He started walking through the remnants of the other buildings heading in the direction he'd picked forcing his twin to follow along.

"Can't argue with that."

They trekked along for several hours, grateful of the fact that the clouds kept the scorching rays of the sun at bay, keeping an eye out for any signs of civilization along the way. At first they tossed around several outlandish theories as to why they had woke up in the middle of nowhere, but as the day dragged on they fell into another bout of companionable silence as the lack of drinking water began to make itself known in the form of dry mouths. Zack gently bit his tongue to stimulate the production of saliva as he looked around for anything to drink and promptly ignored his growling stomach. No sense complaining about something he couldn't fix at the moment.

"Oh heck yes!" Cody exclaimed, drawing Zack's attention from where he was looking in the opposite direction. There was a small stream about a foot wide close by and the twins dashed over to it. It was flowing fairly quickly and was reasonably clear; they judged it safe to drink.

The twins greedily drank their fill and then collapsed alongside each other on the soft moist grass adjacent to the stream. They looked at each other and smiled happily. It was the best water they had ever tasted.

"This is as good a place as any to rest for awhile," Zack pronounced, noticing that Cody looked a little pale and was sweating heavily despite the moderate temperature and cool breeze. Some water and rest would go a long way to restore his strength, but Zack wished that he could find some food as well. He wasn't too worried about his twin's health, Cody was decidedly sedentary so this sort of constant activity and hard living was a shock to his system, but just the same he wasn't about to chance it in the middle of nowhere.

"Sounds good," Cody agreed as he took off his shoes and dunked his feet in the cool water.

"I'm going to scout the area for some food."

Cody looked over as Zack moved off upstream searching both sides of the water source for edible plants, "I'll take a large cheese pizza please."

Zack snorted, "Only if you're buying."

* * *

><p>"Zack?" Cody queried as the older twin walked towards him several minutes later, hands full of grapes and mushrooms.<p>

"Hmm?" He wondered as he stopped a few feet away from where Cody was standing. His brother was squinting up at the clouds with a confused frown plastered on his face.

"Where do you think we are?"

"Somewhere east of the Rockies? Why? Did that brain of yours calculate our GPS coordinates?"

"I wish..." Cody replied, finally turning his attention to the morsels of food Zack had found upstream, "What no fish?"

Zack laughed at the memory as Cody reached into his pocket, withdrew a clean handkerchief and unfolded it on the short grass beneath them so he could set their lunch down. Several years ago Zack had saved his Eagle Scout troop from hunger after a bear had eaten or destroyed all of their food while on a camping trip by catching fish, rabbits and gathering up all manner of edible plant life. He'd let the rabbits go though; Cody had a soft spot for them.

"Give it time," Zack replied as he plopped down on the soft grass. He made a mental note to start looking for anything that could be used as a fishing pole, a line and a hook. It never hurt to be prepared, especially if the had to spend another day out on the plains. Together the twins dug into the grapes, gobbling them up at a startling rate and slowing only when a few remained in order to savor the last of their feast. They decided to save the mushrooms for dinner as neither of them were keen on eating them raw and were hoping to find something more appetizing later on.

"So why the long face?" Zack asked after they'd had their fill and laid back on the grass to rest for awhile.

"I was just trying to figure out where we are. If we were east of the Rockies, then the sun would set directly behind them."

"But?" Zack interjected.

"But the sun is rising from behind them, to the southwest actually," Cody explained. Zack sat up and looked up at the point of light just barely peeking through the cloud cover, watching it carefully. Sure enough he found the sun slowly rising in the direction his brother had pointed out.

"We must be on the other side of them then...?"

"Not likely. There's valley's, forests and such on the western side, not flat grassland. And no, it's not the Appalachian mountains either. Some of the peaks we saw yesterday are too high for that to be the case. "

"Well then where are we?" Zack asked in exasperation. His mind suddenly snapped back through the events of the previous day, almost like a cat losing all thought about what it was doing when a distracting piece of yarn appeared in its vision and he mentally kicked himself.

"I have no idea..." Cody started.

"I'm such an idiot!" Zack interrupted. The younger twin glanced over at him, concerned and bemused at the same time.

"You're just now realizing that? I've been telling you that your whole life." Zack glared daggers at him until he looked away shamefully.

"The farm. The abandoned town. There's no reason why they wouldn't have dirt roads leading up to them. I've been so focused on finding some sign of civilization on the horizon, I forgot to look down at the ground."

"Well we can just follow the stream now," Cody pointed out helpfully.

"Yeah, we can follow it," Zack muttered sarcastically, annoyed with himself, "Let's get going then."

Together the twins got up and started walking south alongside the stream in search of civilization oblivious to the pair of mounted riders watching them from atop a small knoll.

* * *

><p>The first sign of the riders was the low rumble of galloping hooves. Zack glanced at his brother who seemed oblivious to the unfamiliar noise.<p>

"Do you hear something?"

Cody looked up from the ground with a start, likely having been broken out of deep thought. He started to answer, but paused and took a moment to look behind them. His eyes widened slightly and he smiled.

"Finally!"

Zack followed his gaze and spotted two men riding quickly towards them on horses. He shared his brother's relief, but it was a short lived feeling as he remembered the reaction of the crazy farmer they had run into last night. Hopefully these two guys would be more helpful.

The horses neighed loudly as the riders pulled up short and put their animals into a light trot to circle around the twins. Zack frowned as he got a bad vibe from these guys. A cold chill crept down his back and he felt adrenaline begin to pump into his system as he drew protectively closer to Cody. The men were dressed in the strangest clothes, a combination of darkly stained leathers and black cloth. They looked like a pair of scruffy looking Roman soldiers sans the goofy looking helmets and shields.

"Names!" the older of the two men barked. He had a poorly trimmed head of gray hair an a matching scraggly beard to contrast his younger companion's black hair and clean shaven face. The other rider didn't appear to be much older than the twins. Quietly sizing up the two men and the weapons strapped to their backs, Zack failed to respond and it was Cody who blurted out their names.

"Martin? Never heard of it. Who is your master?"

"Um...no one," Cody said sarcastically, unable to believe the absurdity of the question.

"Then you're coming with us," the old man said matter of factly, pointing across the stream and to the south, "Start walking."

"We're not going anywhere with you until you tell us where we are and what the hell is going on," Zack finally spoke up, careful to keep his tone even. No sense antagonizing these armed men, especially considering the fact that they had nowhere to run and no way to fight them. The two riders dismounted and drew their swords.

"Easy way or the hard way kid," the old man said calmly, the tip of his sword coming up to rest just inches from Zack's throat with a casual flick of the wrist, "Decide quickly."

Heart pounding and fighting the voice inside of him that screamed at him to fight back, Zack slowly held up his hands, "We'll take the easy way."

"I thought you might. Now get moving."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Yeah, they're in a mess alright! The twins aren't where they thought they were and now two mysterious riders have appeared and taken them prisoner. Just where are they and what is going on?

Stay tuned for **Chapter Three: "The Sinking Sands"** as our heroes make a shocking discovery about where they are and just who it is they're dealing with.

- Really interested in feedback on Zack's reaction to Cody and subsequent trip down memory lane at the beginning, Zack's concern for Cody's health, the confusion about where they are and their reaction to the new arrivals. And don't worry, the horse blanket will return in Chapter Four if anyone cares! Thanks for reading!


	3. The Sinking Sands

** Chapter Three**

_"The Sinking Sands"_

Hours later an exhausted Cody Martin collapsed to his knees, unconcerned by the scorching sand they walked upon. Zack paused and looked over at his brother, worried about his health. They had been traveling south most of the afternoon and the landscape had gradually changed into a barren desert landscape littered with towering dunes and clusters of rock formations. The arid climate combined with the unrelenting sun pounding down on them had rapidly dehydrated the twins.

The younger bandit, as Zack had taken to calling them, leaned down in his saddle and prodded Cody forcefully in the shoulder with the flat of his sword, "Get up you sorry whelp!"

Zack stepped between the bandit and his twin, glaring at the dark haired young man. He was all too aware of the fact that he wouldn't survive for even a minute fighting this guy. The fact that his entire body was exhausted, sore and on the verge of passing out from heat exposure served as a constant reminder of his physical weakness.

"He needs to rest."

"I don't care what he needs..." the young bandit started, but was cut off by his older companion.

"We will take a break Lucas. Better we come back with some healthy slaves to sell than return empty handed to Algis." Zack felt a cold tingle pass through his body at the mention of being sold as a slave which quickly turned into a simmering boil of anger. He exchanged a glance with his brother, noting Cody's worried and apprehensive expression at the mention of their newfound fate. Lucas quietly withdrew his blade and returned it to its' sheath.

"We are not slaves," Zack said evenly to the old man, trying to contain his anger for now, "We are free men."

The older bandit dismounted and stalked forward like a lion approaching unsuspecting prey to come face to face with him. Zack stared back into the pitiless gray eyes of his captor for what seemed like an eternity before the old man erupted with a bark of laughter. He clapped Zack on the shoulder and leaned in even closer.

"You've got a backbone kid, I like that. Unfortunately you don't seem to understand the rules out here. You're either a 'someone' or you're a slave. Get used to it." With that the old bandit threw Zack onto the ground with startling speed, turned and walked back to remount his horse. He started to sit back up when something soft bounced off his leg and another item landed on the ground next to him.

"We move in five minutes. Understand slaves?" the old bandit asked.

Zack mumbled a curse under his breath and went to reach for the two leather wrapped items lying in the sand when a spray of sand hit him in the face. He recoiled away from the stinging granules and shut his eyes tight against the burning pain in his eyes. Tears began to stream down his cheeks.

"The correct answer to Dante's question is, 'Yes, Master'," Lucas said coldly. Zack felt his cheeks burn at the embarrassment of having to degrade himself by calling a man his 'master'. He opened his mouth to speak...

"Yes, Master," Cody interrupted, sparing him the humiliation.

"There. Was that so hard?" Lucas asked. Zack mentally moved the young bandit to the top of his 'revenge' list.

"No, Master..." The words tasted like ash in his mouth.

"Leave them be Lucas and go scout ahead for the main party," Dante commanded. The young bandit acknowledged the order and galloped off to the south.

Blinking rapidly to clear his eyes of sand, Zack felt the presence of his twin come alongside him. Something wet touched his lips and, realizing it was a bladder of water, he opened his mouth to take a couple gulps of the warm liquid. It must have been one of the packages Dante had tossed onto the ground earlier. After Cody had taken a few gulps for himself, Zack felt the contents of the other package being pressed into his hands. He managed to hold his eyes open long enough to focus on the thick strip of jerky and half a roll of hard bread he held.

After devouring the small feast, the twins shared the last of the water. Zack used the last few drops on his eyes to wash out the last of the sand. When Dante didn't ask for the water bladder back he folded and tucked it into the cargo pocket of his black jean shorts. It might come in handy if they managed to escape their captors at some point in the future. Thinking of escape Zack's mind began to whirl, considering and discarding multiple options and running through scenarios. Unfortunately few of his ideas would work and they all required them to find food, water and shelter immediately after making their escape in order to survive; something which seemed unlikely in this wasteland.

"There's nowhere to run to out here," Dante said, seeming to read his thoughts, "Only one border town to the south. We should get there some time tomorrow afternoon."

"What happens then?" Zack asked, grateful to feel some of his strength returning.

"You get sold. Although we might not find a buyer there and if that's the case, you'll be crossing into Tristone with us. "

"You know Cody," Zack sighed, throwing his hands up in frustration at the nonsensical answer, "I'm starting to think we're not in America anymore." He glanced over at his twin who was looking straight up, his brows furrowed in confusion, "Cody?"

"I don't think we're on Earth," Cody whispered quietly, sending a tingle of fear down his spine.

"What are you talk..." Zack stopped abruptly as he peered upward at the sight that had drawn his brother's attention, "Oh..."

For high above them was a sight that simply could not exist on their world. The golden sun burned down upon the desert relentlessly, but that was not what had drawn his attention so completely. Previously shielded by the cloud cover on the plains, the twins hadn't seen the sun's neighbor. A small blue pulsar twinkled alongside the yellow giant.

"That's impossible," Cody breathed.

"What if we are on another planet?" Zack asked quietly, suddenly feeling very, very, small. He tried to ignore the fear building within him. Being in an unknown, hostile, land with no idea how they had gotten there and no way to get back was a frightening prospect. Would they ever see their home or family again?

Before Cody could answer, Dante decreed that it was time for them to start moving south again and the twins begrudgingly stood up and started heading in the direction they'd been going all afternoon. As they walked, Cody quietly explained to him how unlikely the odds were that they would have been transported to a habitable planet populated by human beings completely identical in evolutionary terms, not to mention the fact that they spoke perfect English. He went on about how astronomers had only begun to find distant planets that MIGHT support life, they had no way of being sure without actually sending a probe to investigate, and that even if NASA or some other foreign government agency had found one there was simply no way for them to get there in their lifetimes; at least not without cryogenics and that was where Zack had to politely ask his brother to shut up for fear of making his head explode.

"Look, it really doesn't matter where we are or how we got here. What matters right now is survival," Zack decided the matter for them.

"Why? Don't you want to find a way home?" Cody asked, clearly perturbed by his decision.

"Of course I do!" Zack cried in exasperation and after a moment's pause staring back at his brother he continued in a more even tone, "Food. Water. Shelter. Safety. That's all that we should be thinking about right now. Once we've met our basic needs, then we can start speculating..."

"You should listen to your brother," Dante said, startling the boys out of their squabble, "No point wasting energy on what could be when you're thirsty, starving and caught outside in a sandstorm."

"Unfortunately we seem to be your prisoners at the moment," Zack growled.

Dante nodded at the truth of his statement, "I'm sure you'll think of something. I might have seen about buying you from Algis if he gave me a fair price, but somehow I don't think you'd pass up an opportunity to stick a blade in my side while I'm sleeping."

"Would you buy Cody too?" Zack wondered, testing the waters. He welcomed the addition of any options that might satisfy their basic needs.

"I have no tolerance for the weak," Dante replied, killing the idea. Cody visibly bristled at the insult, but let it slide and continued walking. _That's what he meant! Stick up for yourself bro!_ Zack thought, trying to direct his feelings at his twin. This was going to be a harsh world from what he'd seen of it so far, and if they were going to survive here Cody would have to toughen up. Zack could only be there for him so many times before his twin had to face danger alone.

* * *

><p>Roughly an hour later the trio spotted Lucas and his horse slowly trotting back towards them. Zack felt his stomach sour as the young bandit approached. He hated this guy more than anyone he'd ever hated before. Not even Dante, a cold and yet fair man, came close to the level of revulsion he reserved for Lucas.<p>

"The main party is just ahead over that dune."

Dante looked over his shoulder at the two suns behind him which were getting lower on the horizon, "We'll be in time for dinner then."

'Just ahead over that dune' turned out to be a forty five minute walk across sand that shifted underfoot, making the twins expend more energy to walk than they would have if they had been on solid ground, followed by an exhausting climb up the side of a dune that the bandits simply crabbed their horses sideways up. When they finally got to the top of the dune both twins gasped at the sight below them.

There was a real oasis nestled within the protective bowl that the sand dunes formed complete with a small pond of water, some scrub brush and a few weathered palm tree looking things. Several dirty white tents were drawn up along the edge of the water, but what was most surprising was the number of dirty and disheveled people chained to a thick rope that prevented them from easily escaping. If they all tried to run away at once, a single person slipping and falling could drag the whole group down with them. It was a disgustingly effective restraint system that still allowed them full use of their legs so that the group could still walk at a relatively fast pace to their eventual destination.

_Slaves..._

"Move!" Lucas barked at them and the twins began to descend, or rather they slipped and slid down towards the encampment. Several similarly dressed bandits watched them approach, but made no move to stop them as Dante and Lucas escorted their prisoners into camp. The two bandits dismounted and a pair of unbound slaves appeared seemingly out of nowhere to take the horse's leads and walk them toward the pond.

"A few words of advice," Dante began as he led the twins towards the largest tent in the encampment, "Keep your eyes on the ground, don't move, don't speak unless spoken to and you would do well to remember your earlier lesson about manners."

Zack was consciously aware of the fact that everyone in the entire encampment had stopped what they were doing to stare at the newcomers. He averted his gaze from the other bandits and slaves, instead focusing on their destination. Dante stopped just short of the tent and instructed Lucas to remain outside before leading the twins inside.

The tent was lit by a pair of lanterns resting on tables at opposite ends of the interior. There were several small wooden crates piled in the center that constituted a makeshift table and an old heavy set man sitting behind it who had just peered up from the papers he had been studying. Remembering Dante's advice, Zack diverted his eyes downward and stared at his shoes which looked so completely alien in this strange land.

"Dante my friend!" Algis boomed jovially, "What have you brought me today?"

"Only the best goods as usual. These two should fetch a good sum, especially if we find them a young Lady in need of some 'personal' servants," Dante answered. Zack could almost feel the heat radiating off of Cody's cheeks as his brother blushed. The bandit leader stood up and came forward to look at them.

"Let's see what you've got then."

Algis subjected Zack to examination first. He turned over the teen's palms to study his hands before proceeding to squeeze the muscles in his arms and legs and then lifting up his shirt to examine his back. Finally Algis poked his flesh just above his upper lip and lifted it to examine Zack's teeth.

"Soft, weak, but otherwise in very good condition. Not a mark on him either. You're sure you don't have a couple of young nobles?" Algis asked, waving his hand at the twin's comparatively outlandish clothing.

"Pretty sure."

"You," Algis said, poking Zack in the chest, "Look at me and tell me your name."

Zack lifted his gaze to stare back at the bandit leader. He was briefly distracted by the vertical scar over the old man's left eye which seemed to be perpetually half shut as a result of the old wound. This was definitely a rough world they had found themselves in.

"Zack Martin...Master."

The bandit leader frowned and stepped forward to invade Zack's personal space. He cupped his hand under Zack's chin and turned his face left and right examining him closely. After a moment of intense scrutiny he took a step back.

"Have I seen you before boy?"

Zack shook his head, "No, Master."

"Blond hair, blue eyes and pale skin eh? That places your origins in the East. What city in the Empire do you come from?"

"Boston, Master," Zack answered with the only place that came to mind while mentally filing away the pieces of information he'd just been given away for later examination. _An Empire nearby? Blond haired people from the East? _He was briefly reminded of their trip to Sweden and the family history of the Martin's that they'd uncovered while ashore there. What little he knew of geography placed fair haired people descending from those who lived in nations to the east of America and he wondered if the same held true for this land. Then again they weren't really in America anymore...

"Never heard of it," Algis said, stroking his beard thoughtfully, "Well if you're not nobles or the sons of rich merchants and have someone willing to pay ransom for you, I'm afraid the two of you are going to be sold as slaves. Care to change your story?"

The twins remained quiet and Zack lowered his gaze back to the ground. They were alone in this world. They knew no one and had nothing of value. All they had was each other. No one would be coming to their rescue.

"Very well then. They're yours to guard Dante. Double rations I think. These two might just fetch enough to make this whole damn trip worth it," Algis finally pronounced, waving dismissively at the twins and returning to his table.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Yeah yeah, no major action yet like I promised. Don't worry though, there will be some fighting in **Chapter Four:** _"The Eve of Chaos"_.

Anyway, the twins aren't on Earth anymore! Seems Tiger sniffed out that foreshadow ahead of schedule! They're on a seemingly primitive world that orbits a yellow giant and a small blue pulsar. The questions are - How did they get there? Why are they there? Where is 'here'? And most importantly, how did they get there with no memory of how it happened? Also (as Cody notes), how is that these people are evolutionary identical and speaking plain English?

So the twins have been captured by slave traders operating in and around this desert area and are slated to be sold as slaves. Can Cody think them out of this situation? Can Zack come up with an effective escape plan? Or are they doomed to accompany the traders to the border town where they'll be sold?

Most importantly, when will the ACTION part of this Action/Adventure rear its ugly head? There's a taste of it in Chapter Four, but Chapter Five is when then s*** hits the fan so stay tuned and please, tell me what you think of the story so far! =)

P.S. I've created a discussion thread for Paradigm Shift in my Chaos Realm forum group in the SL forums!


	4. The Eve of Chaos

**Chapter Four**

"_The Eve of Chaos"_

Less than an hour later as the sky turned orange in response to the approaching night the twins founds themselves sitting in the scrub grass underneath the fronds of a small palm tree. Both of them had an iron shackle locked around their right legs trailing a chain that bound them to the tree just outside Dante's tent. They'd been placed here after their meeting with Algis and given more rations of jerky, hard bread and water by the same slave who had taken care of the Dante's horse earlier. The twins had tried to talk to the thin man to no avail; he simply ignored them.

"Where the HECK are we?" Cody growled angrily as he hurled a small rock at the pond. The sound of the splash was lost amid the noise of the encampment as meals were cooked over open flames for the bandits, the shuffling of the nearby horses and the low murmur of conversation among the bandits and slaves alike.

"I mean it's already bad enough that we wake up on some strange god forsaken world," Cody continued venting, "But we just had to be caught by a bunch of slave traders too!"

"All I know is we've got to head east when we get free," Zack responded, resting his chin on top of his knee as he looked out at the majority of the salves who were bound together, "We could blend in better if we can get to this 'Empire' than we can out here with these people."

Cody remained silent, obviously in agreement as both boys looked over the dark haired bandits and slaves. The twins stuck out like sore thumbs among this bunch and if the nearby settlements were populated by equally dark haired people, they would have a hard time staying hidden after escaping. There was no doubt in Zack's mind that they would make a run for it at the first good opportunity after being sold. _I will NOT be a slave!_

"So we play along until then?" Cody wondered.

"And then when the time is right we slip away and get as far from this place as we can," Zack finished his twin's train of thought.

They sat there together awhile longer, both deep in thought, making occasional comments that often failed to produce a response from the other. As the heat of the day began to ebb away and was replaced by the cool of night they both laid back on the scrub grass and stared up at the stars visible under the fronds hanging above them. As if to confirm their suspicion that they were on a different planet, neither of them could find a recognizable constellation in the early evening sky.

"Zack Martin!"

He awoke with a start and sat up in response to hearing his name. He realized that he must have dozed off while stargazing with his twin. Cody also stirred and sat up alongside of him. It was still light out, but darker than it had been earlier.

Dante was standing over him with his sword drawn, tip resting lightly in the sand. He tossed a key ring at Zack who caught it awkwardly in his half awake state.

"Come with me," the old bandit instructed. Zack glanced down at the ring to see only a single key on it. He quickly unlocked his shackle and stood up to follow Dante, who quickly reclaimed the key, all the while wondering what this was about.

He didn't have to wait long to find out. Dante led Zack over to a flat patch of ground a short distance from the encampment. Lucas was also present, though he was sitting with his back to another palm tree eating his dinner with the two familiar slaves standing some distance away from him.

"Algis was right, you are weak. Probably have never done a day's worth of hard work in your life. But I've seen that backbone of yours when you stood up to young Lucas. Now I want to see if you're all bark or if there's more to you than meets the eye," Dante said as he re-sheathed his sword, unclasped the belt it was attached to and set it down. He stood up with two wooden objects, roughly carved into the shape of his sword and tossed one down at Zack's feet.

"Defend yourself!"

Fear paralyzed him. He didn't know how to use a sword, or any weapon other than his fists for that matter. Did Dante really expect him to put up a fight? Zack could already imagine the bruises he would be covered with tomorrow morning if he survived this encounter.

"I don't know how..." Zack finally admitted, hanging his head in defeat.

"So you're a coward after all?"

Ears burning in humiliation Zack bent down and retrieved the wooden weapon. It was lighter than he expected, but something told him it had to be in order to maintain some semblance of balance. His mind began to race as he tried to recall everything he knew about fighting and searched for anything that might help him in this situation. Unfortunately his mind blanked as Dante surged forward and knocked the practice blade from his hand seemingly without effort and then threw him down onto the ground for a second time that day.

"Relax your grip boy!" Dante said as he circled around him, "Holding on tightly actually makes it easier to be disarmed."

Zack carefully retrieved his weapon from the sand, keeping his eyes on the circling bandit at all times and stood back up. He forced his body to loosen up and took up a defensive stance as his mind clawed at the scraps of the karate lessons he'd taken as a child for some useful piece of information.

"Again!"

This time Zack intercepted Dante's cross body swipe and turned it away as he stepped back. He felt a spark of triumph for an instant before he became consciously aware of the bandit's left fist an inch from his head. He flinched involuntarily at the sudden sight.

"Your opponent has two hands boy. Always remember that. Again!"

And so it continued on for the better part of an hour. Zack began to feel more comfortable as he realized that Dante wasn't actually trying to hurt him and was pulling his punches when he connected with them. He gave himself over to the impromptu training with the old bandit as he realized that these were valuable skills worth possessing.

Time and again Dante disarmed him or connected with blows that would have been fatal if they had been made with a real sword that wasn't pulled back at the last second. Throughout it all, Zack pushed aside the burning feeling in his arms and legs in order to maintain a constant study of his enemy; detailing every movement, tactic and visual cues. He felt himself slipping into a state of intense concentration as he continued his desperate bid to fend off Dante's assaults, though it turned out to be a short lived experience as the old bandit called an end to their sparring.

"Why are you teaching me how to fight?" Zack asked his opponent as the night began to smother the last of the light.

"I haven't taught you how to fight," Dante laughed, "I've merely shown you how little you know."

"Still..."

"You've got some natural skill, I won't deny that. But it'll take a lot more practice before you're even on the same level as a novice swordsman."

"It felt good though, like it was coming to me naturally," Zack admitted as he handed the wooden sword back over to his captor. Despite the fact that his muscles were sore, his breathing was labored and brow covered in sweat, he felt fully alive and energized.

Dante gave him a strange look as he stowed the two practice swords and reclaimed his real one, "Can you channel?"

"Channel? Huh?" Zack asked, thrown by the odd question.

"Chaotic, Divine or Elemental energy?"

He shook his head, "Never heard of it."

"I find that extremely hard to believe for even in the most remote parts of the world there are students and masters of all three disciplines."

"Sorry..." Zack mumbled as he added the information to his list of things to think about, "Doesn't ring a bell."

"Everyone is born with the three gifts, but two of them will fade away throughout the course of life. The gift that remains is determined by your actions and character; that is the discipline you should strive to study and develop the ability to channel it."

"And why would I do that?" Zack asked coyly, thinking that the old man was off his rocker.

"Remember when I told you that you're either a someone or a slave?" Dante asked, deadly serious.

"How could I forget?"

"If you could channel, you would become 'someone'. If you studied a discipline, normal people could not touch you. If you mastered a discipline, you would become a god among men."

"Where do I sign up?" Zack wondered, still believing that his captor was full of it, but interested in his story nonetheless.

"It's not that simple my young slave!" Dante laughed, "You have to face your worst fears and darkest thoughts in order to discover your gift. For most people, this is something that they simply cannot force themselves to do."

"So what about you?"

Dante glowered at him, "Some things are best left untouched."

* * *

><p>After the training, Dante led Zack back to where Cody was still shackled. He sat down heavily as the physical activity of the past hour left him feeling drained. Despite his weariness, he explained to Cody everything he'd heard and done while sparring with Dante. When he got to the part about the 'gifts', Cody frowned at him.<p>

"That almost sounds like he believes in magic, but there is no such thing."

"I wasn't about to argue with a man holding a three foot long blade," Zack pointed out.

"If I had known that I would have gotten one a long time ago," Cody mused thoughtfully. Zack raised an eyebrow at his brother.

"This all sounds like Medieval Magic Quest..."

"Which is exactly why I don't believe in any of it," Cody replied pointedly.

"Why's that?" Zack wondered.

"Because I don't believe in things that can't be proven by science."

Zack simply nodded thoughtfully and let the conversation die. He briefly wondered what the world, their world at any rate, would be like with magic. Part of Dante's explanation disturbed him though; he had no idea what his worst fears or darkest thoughts amounted to.

Moments later Dante's servant reappeared ahead of the man himself carrying a bowl of stew and a cup of water; the same meal that Lucas had been eating while watching the practice bout earlier. Both twin's stomachs growled at the sight of the food as the servant handed the bowl and cup to Zack.

"Eat it. We have an early morning tomorrow," Dante instructed as he hovered over the twins. Zack took a few spoonfuls of the stew, savoring the first taste of real food in two days. It was made of the jerky they'd been eating, plus a broth and a small dose of vegetables added in. He attempted to pass the bowl to Cody when Dante pulled the younger twin away from it.

"It's not for him."

Cody looked shocked at first and then crestfallen. Zack knew how hungry his brother was and the stew he'd eaten suddenly turned to a cold lump of mush in his stomach. He set the bowl down and glared at their captor.

"If my brother can't have any, then I don't want it either."

Dante drew his sword and rested the tip on Cody's shoulder from where he stood behind the frightened teen.

"You'll eat it or he bleeds," Dante said coldly, "Like it or not you're an investment. I won't have you dying on me tomorrow because you're too weak to walk."

"Just do what he says Zack," Cody whispered, looking at the gleaming sword point out of the corner of his eye. Zack sighed in resignation as he picked up the bowl and finished the remaining food that he would have rather let his twin have. He gulped down the water, passed the dishes off to the servant and glowered at the bandit.

"Happy now?"

Dante responded by shoving Cody back to where he'd been sitting, sending the teen sprawling onto all fours. Zack bristled angrily, but had enough sense to stay put. There was nothing he could gain by retaliating against the man while he was unarmed and chained to a tree. Without a word, Dante walked back to his tent and disappeared inside.

"You okay buddy?" Zack asked as he knelt beside his fallen brother.

Cody rolled onto his back and sighed, "I'm fine."

Zack dug through his pockets and pulled out the mushrooms he'd found earlier growing in the shade of some rocks by the stream. It seemed like a lifetime ago that they were out wandering on the plains by themselves. He offered them to his brother and Cody accepted them quietly.

As his twin consumed the last of their personal food supplies, Zack retrieved the horse blanket that Cody had managed to hang onto despite everything that had happened today. They were going to need it tonight as the temperature was plummeting and it didn't look like the bandits were giving any of the bound slaves anything to stay warm. It was fortunate for them that they were protected from the wind in the bowl at least.

Cody looked over and frowned, "Not the horse blanket again..."

"Gotta do what you gotta do bro."

Begrudgingly, the younger twin slid under the blanket and they both laid there quietly as sleep started to claim them. The sounds of the encampment died down as the slaves and most of the bandits went to sleep. Only a handful of the armed men stayed awake on watch.

"Cody?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry. I wanted you to eat the stew too," Zack whispered, disgusted with himself for what he saw as akin taking food out of his brother's mouth.

"It's ok," Cody mumbled, "We'll survive."

Silence passed between them for a while longer. Zack was on the verge of drifting off to sleep when he heard his brother whisper in his sleep, "I trust you."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **A slow chapter to be sure, but a setup for things to come. Dante sees something of interest in Zack and tests his skills in mock combat. Zack discovers that he has more than just a passing interest in the lesson and quickly finds himself 'in the zone' as he ignores the passage of time and the exhausted state of his body to continue the training. Afterwards Dante tells him an outlandish story about magical powers, specifically the disciplines of Chaos, Divinity and the Elements. Of course Zack is well within his rights to disbelieve the old bandit's story, but being that they are on an alien world far removed from their own (as evidenced by Cody's observation of the unfamiliar constellations) what if Dante is telling the truth?

What if people really do have special abilities and gifts granted to them by one of the three branches of magic? What fears and thoughts are harbored in the darkest places of Zack's mind that he will have to face in order to learn if he has a gift of his own? What does all this mean for the twins and their future on this new world?

Stay tuned for **Chapter Five: "Turning Point"** to find out more and be sure to check out the Paradigm Shift thread in the Suite Life Chaos Realm forum, I've got some questions for the action/adventure/fantasy lovers reading this =)


	5. Turning Point

**Chapter Five**

"Turning Point"

The next morning started early as promised. Before the scorching rays of the afternoon drove the temperature up, the slave traders intended to cover a lot of ground in order to make it to the desert trading city of Severagol and sell some of their slaves while restocking provisions at the same time. Zack had found out this information from Cody who had been awake for about two hours already talking to Sev, Dante's slave, and allowing him to sleep as long as possible to recover from last night's training.

Zack felt like crap as he finally got up bleary eyed and sore all over. Cody quickly packed up their small camp and handed him the small pieces of hard bread and jerky that Sev had left them for breakfast.

"I'm beginning to hate this stuff," Zack growled as he started chewing the hard food.

"And here I thought that iron stomach of yours could eat anything," Cody quipped as he stretched.

"I neffah sid it coufn't hafle it."

"Dude, don't talk with your mouth full," Cody scolded him, a small grin appearing on his face regardless. Sev returned a moment later and pressed a full water bladder into Zack's hands. With a start he realized it was the same one he'd been carrying around in his cargo pocket.

"Keep it out of sight," the slave whispered before returning to Dante's tent to begin packing away what few supplies had been left out.

"At least we have one friend in this hell hole," Zack said, feeling grateful. He discreetly took a gulp of water to wash down the rations and then passed the bladder to his brother, "It's a start..."

After taking a few sips Cody carefully wrapped the container in the much loathed horse blanket and tucked it under his arm. A moment later Dante approached them, leading his chestnut brown horse behind him, looking over them critically. Lucas milled about nearby as he finished checking over his gear.

"Big day today boys," Dante said as he tossed the key to Cody, who promptly dropped it in the sand before hurriedly retrieving it and unlocking the shackles that bound their ankles.

Zack merely glared silently at the old bandit, knowing in his heart just how true those words were. Something big was going to happen today; he could feel it in air. There was a sense of hesitation, as if the world itself had taken a deep breath in preparation to scream before plunging over the edge. He wondered what would become of him by the end of the day. He wondered if he would still be alive by the time darkness fell over the land.

He wasn't being prophetic by any means; Zack just knew that today could have only a limited number of outcomes for him and his brother. They would be sold as slaves and plot their escape once away from the slave traders, they wouldn't be sold in which case they would continue traveling with the traders, they would try to make a run for it once they got to the city or they would be killed in the attempt. Needless to say, the mixture of anxiety and fear was almost overwhelming.

Pushing his worries aside for the moment, he flashed a confident smile at his younger twin to reassure him that everything would be alright. Zack then glanced up along the horizon at the blue pulsar as it just began to peek over the rim of the bowl. _Another full day in the sun... Just what I needed... _He thought sarcastically as he briefly examined his sunburned forearms and felt the sting of sunlight on the back of his neck. _Good thing I've been working on a tan. Must suck to be Cody without any sunscreen in sight._

"Let's get on with it," Zack said ruefully as he started walking to join the tail end of the column of bound slaves shuffling out of the oasis's safe haven and back out into the barren wasteland of the desert.

* * *

><p>The rest of the morning passed rather uneventfully as the slaves wound their way around rock formations and over monstrous sand dunes. Cody complained the entire way about walking across such huge distances and when the bandits stopped for a five minute break every hour he complained about how it wasn't nearly long enough for a proper reprieve. Fortunately for the younger twin they were traveling at the back of the slave column with Sev and out of earshot of Dante and Lucas who trailed behind them talking with Algis, the bandit leader.<p>

"A little walking is good exercise," Zack told his twin.

"A little?" Cody shrieked in exasperation, "We've been trudging through the sand for almost FIVE hours!"

"What's 'trudging' mean anyway?" Zack asked.

"The slow, weary, depressing, yet determined walk of a man who has nothing left in his life except the impulse to simply soldier on," Cody growled. Zack raised an eyebrow and gave his twin a curious stare.

"I'm sorry I asked..."

They walked for a few more minutes in silence until Zack noticed that Cody had stopped sweating. The neckline of his blue t-shirt was still damp with sweat from his neck, but his forehead was completely dry. Even as he noticed this, Zack became aware of just how pale his brother was turning and cursed Cody for his lack of athletic talent. Such extreme physical exertion was anathema to him and the lack of preparation in that area would take its toll on his body.

Fortunately another five minute rest period came to pass and Zack jumped into action, ordering Cody to sit down. He took the horse blanket from his brother and unwrapped the water bladder before tossing the liquid back to Cody. Zack then spread the blanket out behind him like a sail, holding a corner in each hand, and stepped around his brother to shade him.

"Drink some water Cody," Zack commanded.

Too tired to argue, Cody complied and took a few slow gulps before stopping to breathe deeply. He looked up at Zack gratefully and the older twin was suddenly struck at how frail his twin looked. Cody couldn't keep this up for much longer; he was suffering from dehydration, exposure and exhaustion. They needed to find that town, get out of the sun, eat, drink and rest as soon as possible.

Not that Zack was much better off than his twin, but he at least could feel that he still had something left in his energy reserves and the fact that he was thinking clearly told him he wasn't completely dehydrated yet which he was thankful for.

"Hang on buddy, we're almost there," Zack lied. There was no sign of the desert trading city, Severagol, on the horizon yet; though that didn't mean much with all of the dunes blocking his line of sight.

"What's wrong?" Dante demanded as he appeared alongside Zack. Then, looking down at Cody, he continued, "Never mind..."

Dante summoned his personal slave, Sev, and ordered him to bring some provisions and a linen sheet to him. Moments later Sev draped the white linen sheet over Cody which served multiple purposes; effectively shading his entire body, reflecting some of the heat from the sunlight and keeping the teen's sweat from completely evaporating. Then the slave prepared a light broth from some dried meat and spices while also producing some more jerky and bread rolls.

"I'm fine!" Cody protested the sudden influx of attention, though he didn't refuse the provisions.

"Fine my foot!" Dante grumbled, "You're going to die on me at this rate kid. You really never have done a days hard work in your life have you?"

"Drink the broth," Sev ordered Cody, "The liquid will rehydrate you and the salt will help your body retain water."

Suitably chastised, Cody did as he was told and slowly drained the broth without further complaint. When he was finished, Sev gave him a moment to breathe before insisting that the younger twin eat the jerky and bread. Zack glanced at Dante as the old bandit watched the whole ordeal passively.

"Thank you."

"If you think I'm getting soft in my old age, you can forget it. I'm just protecting my investment," Dante replied acidly.

"I know," Zack said, nodding his head in understanding, "But thank you anyway."

Dante grunted in reply. Once Cody was finished eating, the old bandit had Sev fetch his horse and bring it to him. He ordered Cody to hop up in the saddle for the rest of the trip, which according to Dante would take less than an hour. Normally the slave traders would be stopping for the afternoon, setting up shelter and resting during the hottest hours of the day at this point, but with Severagol close by, Algis had opted to keep going.

There was however just one problem.

"I don't know how to ride..." Cody admitted shamefaced.

Dante looked from Cody to Zack and back again in consternation, "You can't ride! He can't use a sword! What the hell kind of town is this 'Boston' of yours anyway?"

"Sea port," Zack answered quickly. He wasn't ready to share the secret of their origins with anyone just yet.

"What in the blazes are you two doing out here so far from the sea?" Dante questioned, turning back to Zack, "And while we're at it, neither of you look like you've ever worked aboard a ship before, so WHAT did you boys do in Boston? If you're the sons of a rich merchant or a noble, all of this can end right now I promise you if you just tell me who they are so we can ransom you both!"

"Our parents are entertainers. They don't have much money, just enough to send us to a private school so we can have a better life than they did," Zack admitted, suddenly feeling a pang of regret for how he was wasting his mother's gift of sending him and Cody to study at Seven Seas High. _Strange that it would take walking around on another planet to make me realize just how much Mom has sacrificed for us..._

"How touching," Dante growled, his expression telling Zack that he wasn't fully convinced yet, but had accepted the answer nonetheless, "Anyway, Sev help him onto the horse and then help keep him on it."

The slave did as he was told, steadying Cody as he put his foot in the stirrup and gave the teen a shove to help him get up and over the horse's back with his right leg and plant his butt firmly in the saddle. Dante's steed turned its chestnut colored head to eye the lighter burden, nickered a greeting and then the animal seemed to shrug philosophically at this new development and faced forward again. Sev instructed Cody to hold onto the pommel, took the horse's reins and led the animal forward to join the departing party.

"Stupid desert," Cody muttered as he and the horse passed by. Zack set off quickly to catch up with them and then walked alongside the massive beast to catch what scant patches of shade it created. The two stars weren't quite at their apex along the horizon yet, so he was still able to find some relief in the horse's shadow. After taking a gulp of water for himself Zack re-wrapped the bladder in the horse blanket, noting with some apprehension how light it now was.

"Where's that stupid..." Zack began to complain, then stopped as he saw the desert trading city Severagol seemingly spring up out of the ground, "Oh..."

The city, if it could be called that, was actually just a sprawling mass of dilapidated looking clay and stone buildings with a crumbling brick wall encircling it no more than five feet high. Every exposed surface had been sandblasted by sandstorms Zack assumed, noting the rounded corners on all of the standing structures and the general lack of detail; it was this windswept look along with the fact that the walls were the same color as the desert sand that had kept it hidden to the naked eye from a distance. _What a miserable place!_

Then it struck Zack. What if they were sold here? What if they had to live here? It would be unlikely that they could survive in such a place after making their escape; that was if there was any place to escape to. Looking around the empty horizon, unable to even find some semblance of a road, their chances of finding a route to the east and the Empire that lay beyond looked increasingly slim.

_Oh man. What are we going to do?_

As the party drew close to the city, Zack noted that what looked like the main entrance was shut. There was a gap in the wall perhaps a dozen feet wide and a pair of heavy looking wooden doors barred the way into the city. _Open Sesame? _Zack snickered at his own silent joke.

_I'm getting loony. The heat must be getting to me too..._

He touched his forehead and noted that it felt clammy. Yeah, his own endurance was definitely at its limits. Too much more of this and Dante would be hauling his butt onto Lucas's horse. Wouldn't the young bandit just love that! Zack laughed aloud.

"Are you not well?" Sev asked, peering back at him.

"No I'm not well!" Zack replied in exasperation, "Just tell me we can rest in a cool and dark place when we get there..."

"Of course. They will want to clean you up before selling."

"What do you mean?" Zack asked. He was cleaner than all of slaves and bandits combined. Sev gestured at him from head to toe and for the first time since he'd been captured Zack took in his disheveled appearance. His arms and legs were streaked with dirt from where it had stuck to his sweat, his black jean cargo shorts looked well enough except for some frayed material from the training session with Dante, but his t-shirt was encrusted with sweat and dirt; it clung uncomfortably to his skin and there was probably a rash festering underneath.

"This isn't the dirtiest I've ever been," Zack muttered defensively.

Algis promptly rode to the head of the party and spoke with the sentries guarding the wooden gate. As they waited, the slaves milled about talking in hushed voices and throwing wary glances towards the city. Cody leaned forward in the saddle and rested his head on the horse's neck to get some shuteye. A little voice in his head yelled at Zack that Cody shouldn't do that out in the open in his condition, but at that point Zack was too exhausted to bother fighting that battle with his brother. A few minutes of sleep wouldn't hurt him.

Moments later the gates opened with a loud crack and made a grinding noise as they swept inward. The slaves and their captors proceeded forward and passed through the gap in the wall in short order. _Welcome to Jurassic Park! _Zack giggled, swayed on his feet and then steadied himself with a hand pressed against the horse's rump. _Man I want to kill someone! But, sleep first! No...I want an extra large meat lover's pizza, a big honking cup of iced tea with lots of ice in it, then sleep, THEN I can kill someone! _

Zack let his mind wander as he took in the sorry state of Severagol and any hopes of getting that pizza died inside of him. Most of the squat buildings that they passed appeared to be residences whose inhabitants shrunk away from the armed party and closed their doors. Soon the party reached the center of the city where there was obviously a market setup to do business. Compared to what he'd seen so far, this place was bustling with activity, but Zack was really just thankful for the shade provided by a large white tarp that had been stretched across the market square which was anchored to the tallest buildings in the city.

There were vendors scattered all over the place selling vegetables, dried meats, clothing, tools, animals and more. In one corner Zack's eye was drawn to he spotted several well dressed men crowded around a wooden platform where a slave was standing stock still upon it while a men dressed in similar leathers as the bandits escorting the twins spoke to the crowd and pointed enthusiastically at different points of the slave's body.

Zack felt his blood run cold. _This is where they sell the slaves. This is where they will sell us!_ He involuntarily shied away from the platform as the slave being sold was led off stage and placed in a wooden cage nearby while the auctioneer collected payment. Zack wasn't alone in the sudden apprehensive movement; several of the slaves, including Sev, took an involuntarily step to the side as they passed the platform. A few curious buyers turned around to catch a glimpse of the newly arrived party, trying perhaps to pick out the best among them and plan their spending accordingly. Feeling the gazes of several pairs of eyes turning upon him, Zack stared pointedly at the ground.

"I will not be a slave," He hissed under his breath, "I WILL NOT!"

As the party left the market square behind, they passed another group of men entering it. Zack glanced up at them curiously. There were about two dozen men all told, all of them covered in thin brown cloaks with their hoods drawn up so that shadows fell across their faces. The newcomers were split into three groups with the bulk of their numbers in front and behind the group of five traveling apart from the others in the center of the line. _Monks in the desert? Now I've seen everything. _Then a flicker of reflected light caught his eye.

Zack looked to find the source and felt questions explode in his mind. He'd spotted the barest reflection of sunlight coming from thin dark metal plates covering the boots that the monks wore. Armored boots...

"What the...?"

He was suddenly aware of a disturbance at the center of the monk's column as they walked past. The monk closest to Zack caught the attention of the other four and now they all turned their heads toward him. Zack had no idea if they were actually looking at him and not the others around him, not with the fact that he now realized that their faces were masked by the armored helmets that they wore underneath the hoods, but he couldn't help but feel as if someone had just walked over his grave. Goosebumps broke out along his arms and he glared back at the five monks defiantly.

And then they were moving past the hooded strangers and the feeling of unease relented, but didn't disappear completely. Algis led the party to a large three story stone building and directed his men to start funneling the slaves inside. As Zack went to wake Cody and help him down off of the horse he was surprised to find his twin brother staring at him.

"Did you feel that?" Cody asked.

"You mean the creepy guys looking at us?" Cody nodded, "Yeah, something odd about that bunch..."

Moments later as the blistering heat of the afternoon sun beat down upon Severagol, Zack slept heavily alongside his brother, the other slaves and half of the slave traders. The building Algis had led them into was actually one of their safe houses and the inside was cool and dark much to the relief of everyone in the party. Once a quick round of rations were passed out, an extended rest period was announced and the twins gratefully spread their horse blanket over the sand covered rock floor in a corner and promptly succumbed to unconsciousness.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **The twins have finally made it out of the desert, though I doubt that their troubles are even close to being over. Finding shelter in Severagol couldn't come at a better time as Cody is physically falling apart and Zack isn't far behind him; how will they ever manage to escape in this condition? What will become of them by nightfall? Most important yet is Zack's observation of a group of armored men entering the market in disguise and their interest in him and Cody. Were the twins singled out among the slaves because of their unique appearances in this land of tanned and dark haired desert dwellers or do their motives go far beyond that superficial fact?

Sorry for the long wait between updates. I'm having some creative differences with myself and it's slowing things down. I also intended for this to be the first major action chapter, but there was still too much to setup so I pushed it back by one chapter. The next update will be the long awaited first battle! Also, for the hardcore readers let me know if you've got any first thoughts on the armored 'monks' and what their purpose is on the Paradigm Shift forum thread!

**Bonus:** There's two new Easter Eggs in this chapter to add to the first (the dreaded horse blanket from 'The Patriot') which I pulled from movies I was watching at the time of writing, one is pretty obvious, but the other is a reworded piece of dialogue which might be harder to spot. Your clues are the movies 'A Knight's Tale' and 'Iron Man'. Let's see who wins the bonus challenge =)


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